Crusie record in Stockholm

Stockholm expects a record, 400,000 cruise passengers in 2009. May is the start of the cruise season in Stockholm and this year our ports will welcome eight new ships bringing the total to call at our beautiful capital to more than 300 before the season ends in September.

New record season is anticipated - In 2009 the ports of Stockholm expect some 400,000 cruise passengers on more than 300 ships of which 39 calls will be turnarounds, compared to the 365.000 passengers and 265 ships in 2008. Many of these ships will be visiting the new and exclusive cruise terminal that opened in 2008. Many of the cruises in Northern Europe and the Baltic Sea feature the beautiful city of Stockholm and the number of calls continues to grow each year.

"We are very optimistic about the season," says Josefin Haraldsson, project manager for the Stockholm Cruise Network. "We have been working intensively for many years to place Stockholm on the map as a cruise destination. And despite the worldwide financial crisis, all reports now show that we will have another record season."

Cruise Lines have expressed optimism. Moreover, because the Euro and U.S. dollar are trading so favorably against the Swedish Krona, Stockholm and Sweden in general provide exceptional value when compared to other destinations in Northern Europe. Stockholm: the passengers' favorite - Stockholm was rated as the best overall visit by cruise passengers from a survey in 2008. In this survey Stockholm was rated 6 on a scale from 1-7, the highest score among the Scandinavian cities participating in the survey. The survey was presented by the European Cruise Sector Survey Project in February 2009. Stockholm was also listed on top for the variety of things to see and do at the destination and for its friendly residents. Additionally, passengers reported that Stockholm met their expectations best and they are most likely to recommend the city to others. Dreamworld Cruise Destination - For the second consecutive year Stockholm took top honors in the DreamWorld Magazine awards. Stockholm won in two of the categories for 2008. One award was for the "Best Destination Experience" (independent tours), where the quality of experience derives from passengers making their own arrangements for their time ashore. The other award was in the category "Most Responsive Port". The prizes were awarded at the Seatrade Cruise Shipping convention in Miami this spring.

2nd best turnaround port in the world - Increasingly, cruise companies are choosing Stockholm as a turnaround point, i.e. a starting or finishing port for the cruise. The reasons: the city's huge appeal, good hotel standards and convenient direct flights to Europe and the United States. In 2008 Stockholm hosted 28 turnarounds from nine cruise lines. And the response from the passengers was enthusiastic. Stockholm was rated "2nd Best Turnaround Port in the World", according to a Princess Cruises Shorex Passenger Survey 2008. What do passengers spend their money on?

The passenger survey from 2008 showed that shopping for clothes and admission to the museums and attractions are the main spending activities during a cruise stop in Stockholm. (Source: The European Cruise Sector Survey Project, passenger survey 2008.)